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Monthly Archives: April 2014

Growing up in Florida and moving to Charlotte from the gulf, I have been spoiled with not just good seafood but great seafood. That has always been one of the things I miss since moving to North Carolina and not living in a beach town, fresh seafood. The folks in the these parts have what they call fish camps which is basically a restaurant built upon grease and then everything that enters the door becomes fried. And, yes, they serve seafood fried in Florida…but I’ve never been a fan and I think it is a disservice to high quality ingredients to just batter ’em and fry ’em until you can’t appreciate their real flavor. With all that said, I was excited to hear that E2 Emeril’s Eatery was bringing back the crawfish boil, but this time for a longer period of time. Not only is it now every Friday in April & May but it is also much more organized than last year. I was very pleased when I arrived to see how much seating their was and that each table would receive their own all-you-can-eat bowl of the boil. If you are wondering what a crawfish boil entails, basically it is potatoes, corn on the cob, onions, E2 includes mushrooms in their boil, sausage and of course crawfish with cajun seasoning. Basically it is a low country boil without shrimp or crab legs.

I went to the boil last week with my friend, JP. I arrived at about 5:15 and the restaurant had already posted that the boil had been delayed because the mud bugs had yet to arrive from the gulf. Yes, these guys are fresh. Since there was a delay in dinner the restaurant bought anyone there for the crawfish their next drink. I won’t complain that dinner is late with a drink in my hand. The seating for the boil is community, which was great because I got the chance to meet the most interesting group of people. We could not have been seated with a better group. Once the crawfish arrived it didn’t take too long for everyone to be served! It was a perfect evening to have a drink and eat crawfish out on the patio while enjoying good company. If you like a lil bit of kick then you will be in luck! The spice level for the boil is right on, not too spicy but definitely not bland either.

If you’ve every wanted to try crawfish this is the best way. It is $15 for all you can eat and I am sure there will be someone at your table who can teach you how to get the most of your mud bug and break them open. Or you can just invite me to go with you! I highly recommend taking advantage of the community seating and talk to those sitting at your table. I am going to go check out a new band thanks to the group that was sitting next to me, they are in it! You never know who you will meat while you are sharing at boil of crawfish at E2!

Last night I was invited to a Taste & Talk Media Night at the local Chuy’s in the SouthPark neighborhood of Charlotte (located next door to Cowfish). We got to explore the menu, take a sauce tour (which was probably my favorite part, being the Sauce Boss and all), a taste of some of their signature drinks. Per usual, I ate too much…but to be fair it was to balance out the tequila I was drinking. However, I am pretty sure I rolled out of bed this morning. Must workout.

Chuy’s Sauce Tour

Entrees (steak burrito, Boom Boom Chicken, and tortilla soup). I went with the Boom Boom Chicken for the corn tortillas.

These are not all the drinks.

Overall it was an excellent night. I applaud the event coordinator of taking advantage of the beautiful Charlotte spring weather and having us out on the patio. Plus we all know it makes for excellent picture taking. I always enjoy seeing some of my favorite faces in Charlotte, especially when it is surrounded by excellent food and drink. I highly recommend having the chips with spicy ranchero sauce, ordering the Boom Boom Chicken (the sauce it was smothered in made my night), and any of the drinks.